Mayoral Candidate Corrine Rios Files Federal Lawsuit Against Rio Rancho Over Ordinances

Corrine Rios, one of six candidates in the Rio Rancho mayoral race, is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed July 3, 2025 that asks a federal court in Albuquerque to prevent the city from enforcing five recent ordinances. The complaint targets Ordinance 22 on short-term rentals, Ordinance 18 setting the mayor’s and council members’ salaries, Ordinance 05 updating the lodger’s tax, Ordinance 07 amending water and wastewater rules and rates, and Ordinance 8 raising the municipal judge’s salary.

Rios and a “small group of residents,” according to her campaign site RiosForNewMexico, framed the litigation as a response to procedural failures and broader accountability concerns. The campaign text states, “What started as a concern about procedure has become a much broader picture of a city government that is not holding itself accountable in practice — whether in how it passes laws or how it bills its own residents.” The site adds, “When these issues could not be corrected through normal channels, a small group of residents and I took the difficult but necessary step of filing a federal lawsuit to defend transparency, lawful process, and the basic principle that laws must be passed in the open by the officials voters elect. That case is still pending.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerry Ritter issued an opinion and order Oct. 10 that criticized Rios for not following civil procedure but explicitly stopped short of ruling on the merits of the ordinance challenges. The judge also ordered other plaintiffs connected to the case to file and set a deadline, according to court reporting; the magistrate’s order did not resolve whether the ordinances themselves are valid.

The City of Rio Rancho has asked the court to dismiss the suit, arguing Rios misinterpreted the Governing Body’s rules of procedure and that her constitutional claims fail. City attorneys also contended the case should not be heard in federal court because of a federal law they say bars U.S. district courts from suspending taxes collected under state law. In a separate request, city lawyers asked a judge to order Rios to refund Rio Rancho’s court costs, asserting she is not licensed to practice law, engaged in alleged “forum shopping” and allegedly cited fake case law.

Despite the litigation, Rrobserver reporting states that all five ordinances have gone into effect. The city has noted the new salary structures enacted by Ordinance 18 and Ordinance 8 will not be implemented until new officials are elected in March 2026. Sandoval Signpost coverage says Rios is also challenging water and sewer rate increases she believes were premature.

Rios filed her mayoral candidacy while the lawsuit continues. Other declared mayoral candidates named by the Sandoval Signpost include Michael Meek, Paul Wymer, Aleitress Owens-Smith, Alexandria Piland and Zachary Darden. Meek has emphasized roads, Piland’s background includes party leadership in 2024, and Darden has raised water-management concerns. The local election is set for March 3, with a runoff April 14 if no candidate receives more than 50 percent, and a write-in filing window on Jan. 13 at Rio Rancho City Hall.

The case remains pending in federal court; the magistrate’s Oct. 10 order left the core legal questions unresolved while the city presses for dismissal and costs. How the litigation will affect enforcement of short-term rental rules, the lodger’s tax, water and wastewater billing, and municipal salaries remains a live issue as Rio Rancho voters prepare for the March 2026 election.